Federal Ministry: Austria expects to receive gas via Southern Gas Corridor
By Leman Mammadova
Many European countries are looking forward to the first delivery of Azerbaijani gas to Europe through the Southern Gas Corridor.
Austria expects to receive gas via the Southern Gas Corridor, Austrian Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism told Trend.
"We acknowledge the efforts of Azerbaijan to deliver secure, competitive and affordable energy to consumers in Europe. When the Southern Gas Corridor will be completed, we expect gas volumes from Azerbaijan to be delivered via Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Italy further to European countries, including Austria," said the ministry.
The Federal ministry said Austria recognizes the importance of the diversification of energy supplies by country of origin, transport route, fuel type and of undistorted trade.
"The Southern Gas Corridor brings diversification of natural gas supply and enhances security of supply. The crucial role of the Republic of Azerbaijan as a key enabler of the Southern Gas Corridor is undisputed," said the ministry.
The magnitude of its hydro-carbon reserves and its geographical position make Azerbaijan an indispensable partner in the international energy business, according to Austrian Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism.
"We highly appreciate the long-lasting energy cooperation with Azerbaijan. When signing and ratifying the Paris Agreement, both Austria and Azerbaijan entered a pathway of decarbonization which could offer excellent new opportunities for bilateral energy cooperation, in areas such as renewables, energy efficiency, innovative energy technologies, for instance in energy storage. Hence, bilateral cooperation could be broadened in scope and evolve beyond conventional energy sources," said the ministry.
The Southern Gas Corridor, $ 40 billion worth project, envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey and Europe through the pipeline, which will be operated within the second stage of the Shah Deniz gas condensate field project in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea.
Shah Deniz is a giant gas condensate field, reserves of which are estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters of gas and 240 million tons of condensates. Within the second stage of field development, the volume of gas production can be increased to 24 billion cubic meters per year, according to forecasts.
Gas produced within Shah Deniz Stage 2 will be transported from the Caspian Sea to Europe, through Italy, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania and the seabed of the Adriatic Sea.
The Southern Gas Corridor consists of four projects: Shah Deniz 2, Expansion of South Caucasus Pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum), the Trans Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP).
Perhaps this is one of the most ambitious projects in the world of oil and gas industry, as well as a complex target that involves a large number of different stakeholders - including seven governments and 11 companies.
On May 29, Baku hosted the launch of the first phase of the Southern Gas Corridor project, and on June 12, the opening ceremony of the TANAP took place in the Turkish province of Eskisehir.
Thus, the first gas from the Azerbaijani Shah Deniz field has already gone through the first segment of the Southern Gas Corridor - from the Sangachal terminal to the expanded South Caucasus Pipeline.
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